Forest Grove Cemetery
The cemetery now known as Forest Grove was established in 1854. It was deeded from the City of Lexington to the “trustees for the colored people of Lexington, Missouri” on October 28, 1890. Prior to being deeded from the City, it is thought that the cemetery land may have been the burial place for slaves residing in the Lexington area, as well as a paupers field. Many of those first recorded to be buried at Forest Grove were born into slavery, but as free people the scope of their labors has mirrored the times. Military veterans of domestic and foreign engagements are laid to rest among the coal miners, horsemen, smiths, farm hands, civic leaders, merchants, musicians, morticians, athletes, carpenters, cooks, domestics, barbers, educators and construction workers who made their homes in this historic river town.
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In 2022, Forest Grove was placed on the National Register of Historical Places. For complete cemetery information; https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Forest-Grove-Cemetery.pdf
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Take a moment to meet a few of our honored citizens buried in Forest Grove Cemetery. More burials have been documented at https://forestgrovecemeteryproject.org/honored-citizens/
George Green
George H. Green, also known as "The Professor," was the fourth and longest tenured principal of Douglass School serving from 1886 to 1936. Born a slave before 1856, he was sold twice as a child. Despite his difficult upbringing, he was sent to tutors and received a formal education. He graduated from the segregated Lincoln Institute and began his teaching career in 1875. The Professor was a dedicated educator, serving at Douglass School for fifty years until his passing at the age of in January 1952.
William "Bill" Lindsay was a talented African American baseball player born in Lexington in 1891. He was one of nine brothers who all played baseball and began his career with the Giants of City in 1910. After impressing Manager Rube Foster of the Leland Giants, he became a star pitcher with the American Giants in Chicago. Despite his young age, Lindsay was sometimes referred to as the best all-around pitcher in the team's history. Tragically, passed away at the age 23 in 1914.
Alice Freeman Hancock was a talented pianist born in Lexington, Missouri in 1891. She embarked on a concert tour in Canada in 1913 and later married William Austin Hancock, a member of another musical family. The couple had a daughter in 1919 who recently celebrated her 100th birthday. Sadly, Alice passed away in 1922 after sustaining injuries from a fall down some steps.
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